


Chale Hain Hum Kahan?

by Suggu



Category: Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020)
Genre: Ahem! No smut!, Aman has to work, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Author believes in Ipsu rights, Author is sick as hell, Fantasies in the wild, Fluff, Journey to the forest, Kartik can joke always, M/M, Okay that's all!, wild love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 06:15:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28790838
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Suggu/pseuds/Suggu
Summary: Aman, a researcher on ancient temples and mythology, has to go to check out on a 300 year old temple in North Bengal. Kartik accompanies him in this journey! Read on to find out how their travel turns in to an unforgettable one!This is a long one shot (I guess by now, everyone must have understood that I don't have the ability to express something in few words! Duh!) You can understand that from the number of words. Take your time to read!😁
Relationships: Kartik Singh/Aman Tripathi
Comments: 18
Kudos: 17





	Chale Hain Hum Kahan?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Komorebiwalk](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Komorebiwalk/gifts).



> The fic has some dialogues in Bengali, but for the ease of you all, I have translated it to Hindi. Some dialogues are in broken Hindi and I think it shouldn't be a problem to understand them. The fic has been written keeping in mind everyone and their ease. So happy reading!

Kartik and Aman had to go to an age old temple at North Bengal.

Aman being a researcher of ancient temples and mythology had heard of this three hundred year old temple and needed to reach Bengal as soon as possible. Kartik, as usual, didn’t wanna let him go, so when Aman asked him to accompany him to Bengal, Kartik was damn excited!

“Bangal mein thand hogi nahin? Tera hoodie le loon? Kaam aayega! Bangal ki mithaiyan bhi bohot sahi hoti hain! Woh kya kehte hain rosogulla! Waapas aate waqt le aayenge haan kuch! Aur Aman, mera yeh waala jeans loon? Achha lagega kya jangal ke environment mein?”

Kartik went on ranting about their trip to Aman, who was drowned in writing the introduction of his thesis, a number of maps, structure of the temple, and a few more papers. He didn’t pay the slightest attention to Kartik.

But after this, if you’re expecting that Kartik had paused or stopped blabbering, let me tell you that you’ve guessed it wrong. Kartik’s excitement didn’t stop at the least. He kept on ranting about how they’ll have a romantic flight from Delhi to Kolkata Airport and from there to Bagdogra and how they’ll travel to the forest bungalow and stay there for a week until Aman is done with his research. He also wondered how it would feel like to have sex on a bed of leaves. Aman only glared angrily at him on hearing this, and Kartik changed the topic to sweets and traditions of Bengal.

“Arrey kitna cute doggo hain! Aman dekh!”

Kartik exclaimed on reaching the forest bungalow. They had an early flight from Delhi to the Kolkata Airport and then had to wait for another two hours to board a second flight that could take them to the Bagdogra Airport. Kartik was very enthusiastic when they started from Delhi, but fell asleep after having breakfast on flight. He was so excited that he didn’t sleep the previous night at all! Their flight was at five in the morning from Delhi but Kartik was jumping from one o’clock only. So when they boarded the flight and ate breakfast, Kartik couldn’t stay awake anymore. He fell asleep on Aman’s shoulder who breathed a sigh of relief.

Kartik wanted to buy chocolates and chewing gums from the Kolkata Airport but Aman didn’t allow.

“Bad baby!”

Kartik said as he frowned and punched Aman lightly on his shoulder.

“Tujhe handle karne ke liye bad hi hona padta hain! Warna insaan ka pocket kab khali ho jayega, usko pata bhi nahin chalega!”

Aman replied pulling Kartik with him and looking for the check in counter for their next flight.

“I am fragile! Handle with care!”

Kartik replied.

“Shut up aur chal!”

Aman replied and pulled Kartik as he walked.

They boarded the flight to Bagdogra which was hardly a 35 minute flight. Kartik loved to travel by train, enjoying the beauty of nature but Aman didn’t have time. He needed to reach the temple as soon as possible, complete his research and be back.

By the time they reached the bungalow, it was past noon. This bungalow of the forest department had two floors, a ground floor, which had a lobby and the dining area, and the first floor, which had the bedrooms. The caretaker there had a dog with him. Kartik immediately jumped out of the car on seeing the dog and started to pat it’s head. The dog wagged it’s tail and licked Kartik’s hand. Not just Aman, Kartik was such a pure soul, that any living being could understand the innocence of his heart.

Aman pulled out their suitcase from the car and dragged it towards the bungalow. The caretaker, whose name was Gopal came running to take the bag. Aman didn’t quite agree as he hated other people doing his job. But to the man he had to agree.

“Atithi bhogoban hota hain! Aur bhogoban se hum kaam karata hain kya?” (bhogoban as in Lord)

Aman smiled and had to give up. He instead leaned on the car watched Kartik play with the dog. Kartik had sat on the ground and was playing with the dog who attempted to stand on his lap every time it’s legs slipped on Kartik’s jeans. And seeing the attempts of the dog, Kartik laughed as a child. Aman smiled as he witnessed this beauty. Kartik beautified the jungle which was amazing on it’s own. His laughter seemed to be as sweet as a cuckoo’s call amidst the dense green trees. Aman loved forests and nature. And his profession allowed him to travel to various forests and dense jungles mostly in India and abroad at times.

“O holo Bhola! Ekhanei thake!”  
(Woh Bhola hain! Yahin rehta hain!)

A woman spoke from upstairs. 

Kartik looked up at her as he didn’t understand the language.

“O mera patni hain. Lakshmi. O bolta hain ki yeh kutta jo hain iska naam Bhola hain. Yahin rehta hain. Lakshmi ko hindi nahin aata. Somojh pata hain kintu bol nahin pata!”

Gopal translated in broken Hindi. Kartik stood up and looked at Lakshmi as she joined her hands to greet them. She then came down through the staircase.

Aman by that time had come to Kartik and stood by his side.

“Lakshmi aap dono ka khana bana dega. Achha khana banata hain. Ar jo kuch zaroorat hoga humko bolega, hum bazar se le aayega.”

Gopal said.

“Nahin aisi koi takleef nahin honi chahiye. Aur agar hogi toh hum le aayenge bazar se, koi baat nahin.”

Aman smiled and replied. Kartik still had his eyes on Bhola who was rubbing his head on his jeans.

“Saheb, bazar toh bohut door hain. Dosh (ten) kilometre chalke jaana padta hain. Aap hum ko bolna. Hum jayega!”

Gopal smiled as he and Lakshmi left and Bhola followed them. Kartik and Aman went upstairs into the bedroom.

“Waah! Bohot sahi jagah hain nahin? Mujhe toh bada pasand aaya. Think Aman, yahan pe sirf tu aur main, main aur tu, aur koi nahin hoga! Alone!”

Kartik whispered that last 'alone’ to Aman’s ears as he smirked. No doubt the whisper caused current to flow throughout Aman’s body in an instance, but he continued telling his hazy brain that he was here for work and couldn’t give in to Kartik’s wild fantasies, which grew even wilder in this dense jungle.

But at the same time he also knew that work was indeed there, but it was after long that they both had come to a trip together. So even if very little, Aman too had intense desires pooling in his gut. He kept telling himself a big wide ‘no’ but ultimately couldn’t resist when Kartik’s nose was just an inch away from his. It was the jungle and no one would see them even if they kissed with the balcony doors open. So Aman’s desires took a precedence over his logic and he gave in to deriving this pleasure from Kartik’s lips. 

Kartik wrapped his arms around Aman’s waist and increased the tightness as they kissed slowly. There was no hurry, they had nothing to worry about. So both of them decided to live this moment, to feel each other in every possible way, the grooves of the lips as well as parts of each other’s bodies through their roaming hands.

Ofcourse they had no plans of separating any soon, but the shrieking call of some unknown bird nearby which broke the silence of the moment caused them to be scared and eventually to separate. They both chuckled as Aman still remained in Kartik’s arms and looked into his deep brown eyes.

“Jungle ka yahin problem hain baby. Par phir bhi, natural disturbances are much better. Hain na?”

Kartik asked as he gently touched Aman’s forehead with his own.

“Achha ab chhod mujhe. Kaam hain. Is jungle ki baare mein thoda jaankari lena hain, aur mandir ka location bhi thoda pata karna hain. Main abhi aata hoon!”

Aman pressed a kiss on Kartik’s cheeks and freed himself from the tight embrace. He then took a long map and climbed downstairs.

“Gopal!!!!”

Aman called as he stepped down. Kartik sat on a chair at the balcony and looked at the dense jungle in front.

This jungle is named the Lataguri’s forest. It has various small big trees and most of them have real thick roots which can be mistaken for a branch of the tree. Hence, it is named as Lataguri, or the tree whose roots look as thick as climber plants. The speciality of this jungle is that it is both light and dense at parts, and both are created naturally. No parts of the jungle has been cleared or cut down apart from this small area of the bungalow. 

Quite interestingly, the temple which was Aman’s destination lied in a dense part of this dangerous forest. Dangerous, for the forest was home to a large variety of wildlife ranging from peacocks and foxes to tigers and elephants. Though Gopal assured them that most of the tigers and elephants were shifted to the nearby National Park. The Gorumara National Park was an initiative by the government to create a safe place for the animals. It was created to save the wildlife from the hands of hidden hunters who hunted down animals and sold them illegally to other countries in exchange for money. Hence, most of the tigers and elephants and were in the park. 

“Almost matlab? Aisa ho bhi sakta hain ki ek do bagh raaste pe mil jaaye aur humein khaake chale jaye?”

Kartik spoke from behind Aman. He had come down silently and stood behind him as Gopal explained facts about the forest. He became scared when he heard that ‘almost’ all tigers were shifted.

“Tu niche kab aaya? Aur hum kya hain? Main akele jaa raha hoon jungle mein. Toh jaane ka zidd tu nahin karega.”

Aman replied.

“No chance baby! Tujhe is khatarnak jungle mein akela toh main katai nahin chhodunga. Mere yahan aane ka maksad hi yeh hain ki jungle mein tujhe akele na jaana pade. Main chal raha hoon, aur tu sun raha hain!”

Kartik replied.

“Main teri yeh baat nahin maan sakta. Shut up now!”

Aman said. Next he turned to Gopal.

“Haan, Gopal abhi aap mandir ke baare mein batao.”

“Mandir saheb lamba history hain. Yahan ek raja tha, Mahendra Pratap! Woh mandir unka banaya hain. Mahendra Pratap bohut atyachari raja tha. Praja ko bohut marta tha. Kintu, woh Kali ka bohut bada bhakt tha. Jahan tak hum janta hain, ekbar doosra shaktishali raja Mahendra Pratap ko hara diya. Praja log khush tha. Mahendra Pratap apne Kali maa ka murti leke jaan bachakar bhaga, bohot door, saath mein uske imandar log le gaya. Un mein se ek tha Nakul Kar, woh raja ka chhota bada murti banata tha. Kaha jata hain, raja ke ichha se Nakul ne hi woh mandir banaya tha, jungle ke mitti se, aur Kali ko wahan pratishtha kar diya. Iske aage hum kuch nahin jaanta saheb!”

Aman listened in awe to the story. Kartik was never interested much in history, but he smelled adventure here, so took interest.

“Kitni door hain woh jagah yahan se?”

Aman asked.

“Lagbhag tees kilometre!”

Gopal replied.

“Oh tab toh paas mein hi hain!”

Kartik replied.

“Na saheb. Itna ghana jungle mein tees kilometre bohut time lagta hain. Kom se kom char ghanta! Beshi o lagte pare, mera matlab....”

“Zyada bhi lag sakta hain, nahin?”

Aman replied.

“Saheb, apni bangla janen?” (Saheb aapko bangla aati hain?)

“Thoda thoda samajhta hoon. Pehle bhi aaya tha Bangal mein par bol nahin sakta!”

Aman smiled and asked Gopal to leave. Gopal had a cycle which he used to travel to the market far away. Aman decided that he would take his notepad, pens and camera with him and travel on the cycle to the jungle. His tent and other essentials will be taken by Gopal along with a few other men from a nearby village. Gopal warned that the cycle won’t go much far for the road ended after a few kilometres. He had to walk the remaining way. Aman agreed.

But the problem was somewhere else. This thirty two year old baby that he was carrying with himself from Delhi created the fuss. He began to cry in the evening when Aman refused to take him to the temple the next day.

“Aj tune prove kar diya Aman, you don’t love me! Nahin karta tu mujhse pyaar!”

Kartik spoke as he cried.

“Kartik shaam ho chuki hain. Aise bahano ke liye waqt nahin hain mere paas. Kal subah subah nikalna hain. Raasta naap ke jaana hain. Tu dinner kar le, aur jaake so ja!”

“Nahin main bhi jaungaaaaaaa!”

Kartik cried even louder.

“Dadababu, aste! Eto jore awaaj korle jontu gulo bhoy peye chole asbe ekhane!”  
(Dadababu, dhire. Itni zor se awaaz karenge toh janwar darr jayenge, yahan chale aayenge phir!)

Lakshmi came out from the kitchen with a spatula in hand and warned them in chaste Bengali against the wild animals which might be scared due to Kartik’s screams.

Aman partly understood. He himself was getting irritated, leave alone the poor animals.

“Theek hain dono jayenge kal! Ab chillana bandh kar!”

Aman said to console Kartik. Otherwise if he would irritate the animals with his screams, God knows what more problem would arise! He knew he had to leave early the next morning at around five and Kartik would be sleeping at that time. He would silently leave the bungalow without waking him up. He ofcourse could not drag Kartik into a jungle where he himself was unaware of the awaiting dangers.

To his surprise, Kartik immediately stopped crying. He had no more tears and came up from the sofa, kissed Aman on his cheeks and went upstairs. Aman rolled his eyes at the instant drama that Kartik put up! He chuckled and then asked Lakshmi to serve their dinners upstairs.

But things didn’t work out in the way Aman had planned.

“Aman utth! Char baj gaye hain! Nikalna hain!”

Kartik pushed Aman at four in the morning and woke him up.

“Kya? Char baje hain? Mujhe toh saare char baje utthna tha! Aadha ghanta pehle kyun utha raha hain?”

Aman asked irritated with sleep laden eyes.

“Der ho jayegi nikalne mein! Thik hain tu so le! Main ready hoke utthata hoon tujhe!”

“Kartik! Sun yaar!”

Aman held Kartik’s hand and stopped him from leaving the bed.

“Baby, kyun aise zid kar raha hain tu? Is jungle mein khatra hain, aur yeh baat tu bhi janta hain. Kab kahan se haathi ya bagh aa jayega, main aisa risk nahin le sakta. Char din ki hi toh baat hain. Aa jaunga main. Tu tab tak yahan ka National Park aur doosri jagahon par ghum le, masti kar. Main tujhe us gehre jungle mein nahin le ja sakta!”

Aman was concerned.

“Dekh Aman, ek aisa jungle jahan itne saare janwar hain, khatra hain, wahan main bhi tujhe akele jaane nahin de sakta. Jo fikar tujhe meri ho rahi hain, wahi same fikar mujhe bhi teri ho rahi hain. Kuch hoga, toh dono milkar dekhenge. Tujhe fikar ho sakti hain, toh mujhe kyun nahin?”

Aman realised there was a valid reason. Indeed, had he been in Kartik’s place and Kartik had to go somewhere amongst dangers, he would never leave him alone. He therefore agreed to take Kartik along with him.

The two set out in the morning on the cycle. Kartik created a fuss here too that he would ride the cycle and Aman had to sit in front of him. Aman knew another scene would be created and it would be damn irritating if Kartik started to cry again. He therefore agreed. Lakshmi told them, that Gopal had already taken a few men from the nearby village and had set out with their things. They bid goodbye to Lakshmi and Bhola who was up in the morning and set out in the jungle. 

It took them two hours to reach the place from where they had to walk.

It was seven in the morning but the jungle was still dark. Very little sun rays that were able to penetrate the tall trees and reach the ground weren’t enough to make things in the forest visible. Kartik and Aman began to walk crossing small and big roots of trees and walking mostly over bed of leaves that created a soft forest floor. The leaves, some of which were newly shed while some which had fallen long back, caused their feet to dab down inside at points. This made Kartik trip numerous times and he also fell down twice as he tripped on roots which weren’t visible for the leaves that had covered them.

Two hours of walking and Aman spotted Gopal in the jungle. He too fell down at places and Kartik helped him to stand up. As a result, both their clothes were dirty with mud and dust and they were smelling of moss. 

“Achha hua! Ab hum bhi junglee ban gaye! Waisi hi boo aa rahi hain humse!”

Kartik spoke and Aman looked at him. He wondered how Kartik could still joke in such a situation.

“Saheb!!!”

Gopal called from a distance.

“Yeh raha aapka mandir! Maa Bhairavi ka mandir. Maa ekhono ekhane biraj koren!” (Mata abhi bhi yahan rehti hain!)

Aman and Kartik joined hands in front of the Lord and then came back to Gopal.

“Aur yeh raha aapka saman! Char din baad hum log subah aath baje yeh sab le jayega yahan se! Thik hain?”

Aman and Kartik nodded as Gopal and his men left.

Kartik roamed about the jungle as Aman began his work. 

The temple was wonders! An 18th century creation by an architect whom we can assume wasn’t that educated as today’s engineers. But still, every part of the temple and every sculpture on it’s walls reflected the love of the artist towards his work and his skills. The wind of time had destroyed parts of the temple but the major sculptures and the deity inside were intact. It wasn’t a very big temple. A small hut like structure with four door like entrances and a chamber which had the deity! In short the temple was a masterpiece! 

“Amannnnnnn!”

Aman came out of his admiration at the scream. It was Kartik’s voice!

“Kartik! Kartik kahan ho?”

“Yahan hoon Aman idhar aa!”

The sound came from quite a distance and Aman tried to follow it. It came from somewhere in the east and Aman headed to that direction.

But he didn’t have to go far. 

For he found Kartik soon, but deep down inside a huge pit.

“Tu yahan kya kar raha hain?”

Aman asked.

“Main? Kuch nahin, socha is gaddhe mein utar ke dekhun yahan nach ne mein maza aata hain ki nahin!”

Kartik replied.

“Kyun aise behuda shauk paal leta hain yaar tu? Main yahan kaam karun ki tujhe sambhalun?”

“Aman! Tujhe sach mein laga main nachne yahan par hoon? Girr gaya hoon main! Mujhe bahar nikaal!”

Kartik screamed.

“Achha ruk! Nikalta hoon! Tujhe aana hi nahin chahiye tha, bola tha maine!”

Aman went back to the temple premises where they had their tents and essentials and brought out a rope from there. He tied it to the trunk of a nearby tree and threw the remaining part in the pit.

“Aaah! Saanp saanp! Aman bachao! Saanp! Aaahhh!”

Kartik shouted as the rope fell on his shoulder fearing for it to be a snake.

“Arrey woh saanp nahin hain rassi hain! Use pakad ke upar aa ja!”

Aman shouted. Kartik caught hold of the rope and climbed up from the deep pit.

“Saanp se darta hain aur janab chale jungle mein adventure karne! Aur bata mere veer purush!”

Aman laughed as Kartik came out.

He frowned at Aman.

“Yeh zaroor us ghatiya shikariyon ka kaam hoga! Saalon ne gaddha khod rakha hain taki animals can fall to their trap.”

Kartik said angrily.

“And indeed my sweet wild animal fell into the trap!”

Aman smiled as he dusted Kartik’s clothes.

“This animal only falls into the trap of a hunter called Aman Tripathi!”

Kartik smirked and then growled, showing that he turned wild.

Three days were already over of Aman with his research. Kartik roamed around the jungle, careful this time not to fall into any other trap as Aman was almost done with his research work. The temple was awesome! The sculptures on its walls basically showed the escape of the Raja and how they fled from the capital and took refuge in this deep jungle. Nakul Kar, the architect of the temple seemed to not like the king just as his other subjects. He had drawn the sculptures in its walls and had inscribed poetry below them. Aman couldn’t read them. He therefore brought out his Polaroid camera and took pictures of the inscriptions. But he could draw a lot of conclusion after studying the temple and it’s walls, the structures and the deity.

It was the last night at the jungle. Their things were safely packed in the bag. Only the Polaroid camera and the thesis had no more space. Aman therefore decided to carry the camera in his hand. Kartik and he were now sitting around the fire they had lit in the temple premises. They were cuddling in each other’s arms and Kartik sang softly.

“Janam janam janam,  
Saath chalna yunhi.  
Kasam tumhe kasam aake milna yahin.  
Ek jaan hain bhale do badan ho juda.  
Meri hoke humesha hi rehna kabhi na kehna alvida!”

Aman hugged Kartik more closely and pressed his head on his chest. It felt magical!

“Meri subah ho tum hi,  
Aur tum hi shaam ho.  
Tum dard ho, tum hi aaram ho.  
Meri duaon se aati hain bass yeh sada,  
Meri hoke humesha hi rehna kabhi na kehna alvida!”

Kartik would sing more but they heard a rattle behind them from the bushes.

Both of them sat up and looked behind. It seemed as if the tall bushes moved a little. They both clearly heard the noise. 

Kartik stood up with a log of wood from the fire in front of them. 

“Aman kuch sahi nahin lag raha. Chal yahan se!”

Kartik said.

“Kahan chalun? Itni raat ko?”

“Baatein mat bana.....”

Kartik couldn’t complete. Four large elephants came running towards them from that side of the jungle. Both Kartik and Aman weren’t expecting this at the least. Aman was surprised at this scene and stood there looking at the elephants, not knowing what to do next. And before he could react, he felt a sharp pull on his hand and realised that they were running. Kartik was holding his hand and they were running in a direction diagonally opposite to the elephants. But still they could hear some two or three wild elephants behind them. They ran even faster, as fast as they could and kept on running until they became sure that they were safe. After about an hour, they reached a place where the jungle was bit light. It wasn’t that dense and Kartik spotted some light at a far away distance. 

Aman could no longer run. His small legs had given away and he sat down there on the ground, panting for breath.

“Aman, thodi der aur jayenge toh yeh ek ghar dikh raha hain mujhe. Wahan pahunch sakte hain.”

“Kartik! Aur chala nahin jaata mujhse. Dard ho rahe hain pairon mein!”

“Par Aman kahan se phir kaunsi musibat aa jaaye pata nahin. Thodi der aur chal le. Please!”

Aman stood up. Kartik was right. They again started to walk.

It took them four long hours to reach that light at dawn. They paused at places, tore leaves and webs of spiders and at times, Kartik even carried Aman on his back and walked. They both fell down on the ground as they reached the bungalow. Yes, they had almost circled the entire forest and came back to their bungalow when Lakshmi saw them and came running.

The last thing Aman remembered was Lakshmi screaming and calling out to Gopal in bengali before he closed his eyes.

“Aman? Ab kaisa lag raha hain tujhe?”

Kartik asked when Aman opened his eyes in bright sunlight.

Aman cried.

“Kartik! Mera thesis mera camera, sab kuch reh gaya wahi pe. Koi fayda nahin hua mere is research ka! Ab main kya karun!”

Aman cried as he spoke. Kartik gave him a glass of water and left the bedroom. 

“Kahan ja raha hain tu?”

Aman asked as Kartik left.

“Aata hoon abhi!”

“Nahin tu akele kahi nahin jayega! Kartik!”

But Kartik didn’t wait. He climbed down the stairs.

Aman wanted to go behind him too but he found his body too weak to stand up alone.

Kartik came back in a while.

With his thesis in hand!

Aman was shocked!

“Yeh, yeh mera thesis hain na? Tujhe kahan mila?”

“Kal jab tu un haathiyon ko dekh ke darr ke maare jam gaya tha, maine jald hi tent ke andar se ise utha liya aur phir tujhe khich ke bhaag ne laga!”

Kartik spoke as he handed over the thesis to Aman. Aman hugged it. It was his hard work and was therefore like his own child. He couldn’t afford to lose it at any cost.

Kartik sat beside him and smiled.

“Main jaanta hoon Aman! Maine dekha hain tune kitni mehnat karke ise banaya hain. Poora din, yahan tak ki shaam ko bhi kaam karta tha. Teri mehnat main kaise kharab hone de sakta tha?”

Aman hugged Kartik as he cried on his shoulders. He couldn’t believe what he did to get someone like Kartik Singh in his life. Kartik was there by him always in all walks of life. He felt blessed to have someone like him.

“Lekin woh Polaroid? Usme un inscriptions ki photo thi!”

Aman asked.

“Gopal gaya hain use laane.”

“Oh Kartik!”

Aman kissed Kartik deeply. It took some time for Kartik to register what happened and he kissed Aman back with equal passion. He could taste salty tears drizzle down Aman’s cheeks and come into his mouth. He smiled as he felt the taste. Everything about Aman was beautiful, everything about him was wonderful and amazing!

“Dadababu!......oh achha! Ami pore aschhi!” (Dadababu!...... Oh thik hain! Main baad mein aati hoon!)

Lakshmi came upstairs and found the boys stuck to each other. She felt embarrassed for interrupting them in their moment and was about to leave when Kartik called him.

“Arrey Lakshmi ji! Aaiye na!”

Aman felt damn embarrassed at her presence.

“Uni ese gechhen maalpotro niye!”  
(Woh aa gaye hain saaman leke!)

Kartik looked at Aman for translation. Aman seemed to understand.

“Aap jaiye! Hum log aate hain!”

Lakshmi left.

“Kya bol gayi woh?”

Kartik asked after she left.

“She said Gopal and all have come back from the forest with the things!”

The two of them climbed down the staircase.

“Saheb, aap log ka saman! Ek camera tha, woh bhi laya hoon! Us bag mein hain! Ar aap log ka gaari bhi barah baje tak aa jayega! Aapko Airport chhod dega!”

Aman checked the camera. He had clicked six pictures and five of them were there. The last one, which was a photo of the temple was missing. He didn’t mind. At least his thesis and the photos of the inscriptions were safe.

“Kal raat ek baagh jungle se nikal aaya tha! Bohot saare haathi ke pichhe bhaga tha woh! Aap log bach gaye, bhogoban ka kripa hain!”

Aman looked at Kartik who looked back at him. That rattling sound in the bushes were therefore made by the tiger itself! Cause if it were elephants, they would be visible from the bushes.

The duo freshened up ate their lunch and left for the Airport once again. They had planned to stay at Kolkata for a night and then leave for Delhi the next day. 

It was a narrow escape! 

But both of them knew that be it whatever situation, Aman always had Kartik’s back and Kartik had Aman’s! Aman shivered once in the flight when he realised that had he not taken Kartik along with him, he probably would have never returned to him again as the tiger would have nicely made him his dinner. Kartik squeezed his hand and eased Aman of the worry! Aman looked at him and smiled and then rested his head on Kartik’s shoulder! Kartik too gently kept his head over Aman’s head.

“This is an unforgettable adventure, in the life of Karman! Hain na baby?”

Kartik asked in the flight.

Aman hugged his hand more firmly and nodded in response.

**Author's Note:**

> Note- It is an old custom in Bengal that married women do not say the name of their husbands. It is thought to bring upon harm to the husbands if their wives utter their names. Hence, Lakshmi says 'uni'/ 'woh' instead of Gopal.
> 
> This fic, I started to write it today and also completed it today. I hope you like it! Please ignore and forgive me for the grammatical errors and typos that might have crept in. I tried my level best to eliminate them but my spondylitis is my all time partner and loves me so much that she is too scared to leave me alone! She wants a large part of my attention, you know!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all like it! I'm eager to know your views. 
> 
> Loads of love to Ipsu, to whom I am gifting this work and also to Abanti Di, my dearest Didi!


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